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Apr 23, 2013

The idea for this book was born at
the beginning of a creative writing class named “The Book”. We received the syllabus
and learned that we would attempt to write four chapters of an actual book we
might want to publish. I was frantically searching for ideas to write an entire
book. I knew that my favorite subject, children’s books would not be long
enough to fulfill the required pages for this class. Furthermore, I did not
want to write something that would end up on my piles of home work assignments
and other useless creative endeavourers that have accumulated in the past
years. In a moment of clarity I remembered my husband’s words, “You should
write a book about your knitting patterns.” In my research on the subject I
came across publishing houses that are actively seeking authors to submit ideas
for knitting books and other craft books and I approached my professor with the
idea. He was not thrilled at first, citing that I had to write a certain number
of pages to fulfill the requirements for the class, but he changed his mind and
let me be creative.

Creativity is something I really
enjoy. It goes back to my childhood when I started to write books, as soon as I
learned how to write. I also liked to watch my grandmother when she was knitting,
crocheting, and embroidering whenever we would visit. It was about the same
time that she began to teach me how to knit, crochet and embroider, and
thankfully she was patient enough to continue with the slow and long process of
teaching me how to wrap yarn around my fingers and hold the needles at the same
time without loosing the stitches, or the yarn, or the needles. I am very
grateful to my grandmother and her patience, because she gave me a gift that
lasts even after she was gone, and every time I pick up the needles I think of
her and the time we had together.

Another one of my creative outlets
is photography. I did not learn to appreciate photography until my teenage
years. I have seen my grandfather, an avid photographer, carrying cameras
everywhere and taking pictures of mundane objects, people, and documenting
life’s changes around him. Inspired by the men of the past who captured human’s
history in their writings; he worked on several chronicles and documented the
life around him through photographs. It was his devotion to capture the essence
of everyday life and its effect on people that helped me discover the art of
photography. Because of him, I learned to carry a camera and capture the
fleeting moments in life that pass by too easily and are forgotten in the
hassle of our busy lives.

I hope to pass the gift of
observing and appreciating small things to anyone willing to open their heart
and mind.

Apr 22, 2013

After several months of hard work the book project is near its completion.
The book class will meet two more times and then the spring semester is over. I have turned in the fourth chapter of my knitting book and as far as the requirements for this class are concerned I am done. I will receive my grade for the class and could stop pursuing publishing the book. However, the work on my project will continue. Even though the majority of writing is done, and most of the samples and patterns are done, the process is not over yet.

I am entering the next level. I have to find the right publisher for the book.This step seems to be more intimidating and scary in many respects. How can I convince the editors at a publishing house that my book is worth their time and money, and should be published? Can my book proposal enchant them, or will I receive the polite, yet dreadful rejection letter? Or should I skip this part of the process and self publish my book? The self publishing route might be faster, yet the aspect of having my book published by a real publishing house seems much more desirable. It would mean so much to me, not just the fact that the book is worth other people's time and money, but more importantly fulfilling my childhood dream of being a writer, even though the subjects and stories have evolved from my first story written in second grade.
I know the market for the book exists. This blog, and my knitting patterns prove it.

Apr 3, 2013

The oversized eyes that this cute Miranda, the owl has remind me of my own eyes after I finished reading one of the assigned books for my class "The Book". It seems that in today's world authors have to wear too many hats. We need to be the creative force behind the ideas and write. We also need to be a wizard in technology and computers, and create author's platforms and spend hours creating social connections. And most importantly, we need to market ourselves, which to me seems like I should switch my major and get at least an MBA in order to understand all the tricks and marketing rules.

I have a busy life (family to feed, home to clean, work to do, homework for school, friends to see, and other obligations) and I can devote only a certain amount of time to pursue the art of creating something new and interesting, may it be a new knitting toy, or pattern, or new picture, or piece of writing. Yet, the amount of time that I can devote to creativity seems to be cut short, by all the other aspects that I, the author, should pursue as well. It is a hard and difficult decision for every aspiring author, should we try to concentrate on marketing the things that we have created, or should we rather let the creativity flow free and enjoy the richness and satisfaction that art can bring.

At the moment I am sitting on the fence, I would like to see that my work is valued and appreciated, but it seems to me that the cost is too high. If I have to spend most of the time I have available on the Internet doing marketing and promotions when will I actually create something new?

The author of the book, strongly suggested that the blogs are registered with all of the blog catalogs, that it should increase traffic and exposure. Yet when I tried to do so, I basically wasted several hours and nothing really happened. Perhaps I should have spent that time creating instead. It would definitively be more rewarding and enjoyable.

I really appreciate all of the readers and visitors of this blog who found it without the blog being registered somewhere. It shows me that I am doing something right, and that people can find it.